1 Kings 7

1 Kings 7:1

HIsowne house] namely his royall pallace, whih (as it is thought) had three bodies of buildings, severed one from the other by great Courts; the one was for the King, the other for the Queene; and the third was for publike feasts, games, pastimes, orchards, gardens, and groves: and in it was also the magazine of armes, which were of most value. 2. Chro. 9. 16. and is called the house of Lebanon, whether it were by reason of the groves planted about it, or by reason of the great number of cedar columnes which it consisted of. Now this building was contrived after this manner. In the middle there was a great vacant space from the very ground to the roofe; in manner of a great loggia covered with a vault of timber work, and about that loggia there were three stories of galleries or porticoes one over the other, each one borne up by two rowes of columnes on each side, which make the foure rowes of columnes or pillars spoken of vers. 2. and they were contrived in this sort, that the first row joyned to the wall, and bore up the beames which rested upon the other row of columnes, which were of the same levell.

1 Kings 7:3

Covered] the roofe was made of Cedar wood: [the beames] of the said Galleries or porticoes: [fourty five] this is the totall number of all the columnes of one side of the building, in the three stories one above the other, there being fifteen to each story.

1 Kings 7:4

Three rowes] every story had its windes, which were directly opposite against them which were on the other side of the building, or directly above them, on the same side.

1 Kings 7:5

The doores] the openings of the doores and the windowes were all square and not arched, and so were the posts and pilasters, not with halfe columnes as they are now adayes: [and light] the doors through which they came into those porticoes, were directly one against the other in the opposite sides, and one above the other in the same sides.

1 Kings 7:6

A porch] it was a building in the front of the house which served for a porch and loggia: [of pillars] the Italian, to those pillars, namely, to that hose so built upon pillars: [fifty]which was whole breadth of the said house: [before them] this portico was a covered place of one story high, built with pillars, upon which lay Cedar beames, which made the seiling over which the roofe was laid, and i served for pople to meetin; and this story had the same dimensions as the first story of the house it selfe.

1 Kings 7:7

A porch] it seemeth that this porch was before the Kings Palace, correspondent in its dimensons to the others which were in the house of Lebanon; these two houses, together with the Queens house, being all environed with one wall, with porticoes.

1 Kings 7:8

Had another] before they came from that porch to the dwelling house there was a great Court, which had porches or galleries round about like unto that same 〈◊〉, see 2 Kings 20:4.

1 Kings 7:9

Costly stones] see 1 Kings 5:17. [according to the measures] all the coures of stones that were in these buildings, were of one bignesse, as well the rough stones below, as the fine and costly stones above [From the foundation] meaning from the bottome of the wall which lyeth levell with the ground [unto the coping] this is the first girt of the cornices, under which thse fabricks were all of rough stone; and above that of polihed stone: [on the out side] not only that out-side of these buildings which fronted towards the publick way or place, but that also which looked into the great Court, which was between the King, or Queens Palace, and the house of Lebanon, which stood in the middle.

1 Kings 7:10

Foundation] that which lay within, and underground.

1 Kings 7:11

Above] from above the ground to the aforesaid git [cedars] for the roofe.

1 Kings 7:12

The great Court] those great fore mentioned Courts were encompassed with porticoes three stories high, whereof the first below, was made with arches, the other were with a wall divided on the out-side with pilasters, and the second story had its roofe made of cedar, as the porticoes of the Temple Courts, see 1 Kings 6:3; 1 Kings 6:36.

1 Kings 7:14

Of the tribe] 2 Chronicles 2:14. it is said that this Hirams mother was of the tribe of Dan, which may be reconciled to this place by this meanes: Namely, that she was a Danite, but was married to a Nephthalite, of which marriage was born this Hiram, who was brought up in Tire by one Hiram, who taught him his art, and adopted him for his sonne, 2 Chronicles 4:16.

1 Kings 7:15

A line] the foot of each columne, above the Basis, which is the thick est place of it, was six cubits in circumference, whereby the diameter came to be of two cubits.

1 Kings 7:16

Five cubits] 2 Kings 25:17. there is mention made but only of three cubits, which sheweth that this word capitoll must be diversly understood, either for the upper part of the columne which is properly called capitoll, which had but two cubits in heigth, or for the architrave and freeze which are called the trabeations, and were of three cubits more; or for all those parts together, which would be all of five cubits.

1 Kings 7:17

Chapiters] the cornice above the trabeation was enriched with its gutter made with long squares grated with foure square lossanges called rombi, the two diagonall being cut by seven transversall lines ere called wreathes, because of their shape, and for this reason the whole square is called Nets.

1 Kings 7:18

Two rowes] which did hang downwards from the cornice, one of them was at one of the heads of the gutter inwards towards the body or trunk of the columne, the other was outward in equall distance, between the Modiglions [to cover] to make as it were a crown or wreath with those figures about the capitolls with their architraves and freezes.

1 Kings 7:19

The Chapiters] being the upper part of each columne, adorned with leaves, flowers, vine-works, and volutes, &c [In the Porch] which stood in the front of the Basilisk of the Temple, 1 Kings 6:3. in which portico the said columnes were set, verse 21 [Lilly work] the edges of the leafes being turned outwards, which are called volutes [Foure cubits] the sense seemeth to be, that at the foure corners of the square abao, there was a great leafe which came out of the capitoll: and that each one of those leafes, was a cubit high: namely, halfe the heigth of the whole capitoll, which is the ordinary proportion of the Corinthian order.

1 Kings 7:20

Chapiters] the Italian hath it, crownes, these were the cornices, which were above the freeze: [the belly] it seemeth he meanes the space under the gutter where the cornice jetted out: [two hundred] there were upon each aspect of the columne, foure of these checquer or net-works, with foure and twenty pomegranates upon each one, which make the number of ninty six, Ier. 52. 23. and with the great pomegranates which were between checquer and checquer, being foure upon every aspect, makes up the hundred of 2 Chronicles 3:16. Ier. 52. 23. and the two aspects with the same number, make the two hundred which are here named, and these two hundred on each columne, make the foure hundred in the two columns, 2 Chronicles 4:13. [upon the other] this is the cornice, which is as a crown to the whole trabeation, as the capitoll is to the columne, and therefore is called the first crowne.

1 Kings 7:21

In the porch] whereof, see 1 Kings 6:3. [Iachin Boaz] the first name signifieth, he shall establish; the other, in it is strength; which are mysticall names, signifying the firme safeguard, which the grace, presence, and power of God, yeeld unto his Church, figured here by the Temple.

1 Kings 7:22

The work] namely the capitoll, so called properly.

1 Kings 7:23

Sea] it was a brazen vessell, of very great capacity; like unto that which Moses made, Exodus 30:18. which was to hold the water wherewith the Priests washed their feet and hands, 2 Chronicles 4:6. drawing (as it is likely) the water out of cocks [from the one] that is to say, in diameter [heigth was five] which sheweth that it was of a halfe sphericall figure [a line] as verse 15. meaning that it was perfectly round, the compasse being of three diameters.

1 Kings 7:24

Knopps] the Italian, raised figures, according to some they were Colochinte, but by 2 Chronicles 4:3. it appeareth that instead of Ovoli or Knops there were Oxe heads; [ten] and consequently in the whole compasse which was of thirty Cubites, there were three hundred of these figures: [two rowes] the one beneath the other at some competent distance.

1 Kings 7:26

Flowers] daintily turned and wreathed up like the lilly leases: [two thousand,] 2 Chronicles 4:5. it is said that it held three thousand: and therefore some hold that therewere two sorts of this measure, whereof the biggest was as much as an ordinary bath and a halfe. Others hold that under this Sea, there was a laer which held a thousand bathes, which laver received the water that fell from the great Sea above it, and that in this lower one, the Priests did use to wash their feet.

1 Kings 7:27

Bases] they were certaine square and hollow bodies, which bore up the lavers in which the sacrifices were washed, 2 Chronicles 4:6. and it seemes that they were cast in one piece divided into two plates above and below, and foure little Pilasters at the foure corners, between which were the foure side plates, in manner of timbrils divided by certain borders compassed about with lists.

1 Kings 7:28

Lavers] great round vessels not very deep, but broad, to wash the flesh of the sacrifices, 2 Chronicles 4:6 [foure cubits] in diameter.

1 Kings 7:29

Vpon the] upon the uppermost plate, which lay upon the side plates, where those borders of lists were, there was the forme of the foot of a vessell, hollow at the top to receive the convex of the laver, and that foot was cast together with the upper plate.

1 Kings 7:30

Plates] those above, below, and on the sides [undersetters] it seemeth they were some bending props which went up from the pilasters in the corners, to beare up the belly of the laver, as the foresaid foot bore up the bottom: [at the side] joyning unto it, for these additions or freezes went round about all the side-plates.

1 Kings 7:31

The mouth] this was the hollownesse of the foot: into which the bottome of the laver was set [within the] in the middle of the uppermost plate, which was encompassed with a crown or cornice: [a cubit] namely of diameter in the bottom of this foot: [upon the mouth] this foot was all beautified with sculpture, divided into littlesquares.

1 Kings 7:32

Under the borders] into which the side plates were set [were joyned] were cast together with the rest.

1 Kings 7:35

In the top] namely above the plate, and with in the square of it, there was a certain round hollow place, which was made it should seeme to receive the water which came out at the cocks: [on the top] this uppermost plate was divided into squares, encompassed with certain borders, with figures, as well as the side plates.

1 Kings 7:36

Proportion] the Italian, the empty place, that is to say, sitting the figures according to the bignesse of the empty places wherein they were to be set: [additions] see verse 29.

1 Kings 7:39

Of the house] namely, of the Priests Court in the Temple Eastward, on that side of the Court which stood towards the South-East.

1 Kings 7:40

Hiram] the Italian Hirom, called also Hiram and Hiram.

1 Kings 7:41

Bowles] your capitolls are so called, because of their originall, and resemblance; being made at first to the resemblance of bowles or pots, full of flowers or boughs: [and the two]whereof see verse 17. 18.

1 Kings 7:42

Forthe two] namely, for the gutes of the two columnes.

1 Kings 7:46

Succoth] places beyond Iordan, Ios. 3. 16. Iudg. 8. 5.

1 Kings 7:48

Vnto the house] for the use and service of the inside of the Temple: [the Altar] of incenses which was made of Cedar planks, 1 Kings 6:20. and covered with plates of gold, as also the Tables, in imitation of the like made by Moses, see Exod. 25. 23. 24. & 30. 1. 3 [the table] the Italian hath it, the tables, to the number of ten, as also ten Candlesticks, 2 Chron. 4. 7. 8. in stead of one that was in Moses his Tabernacle, in token of the great encrease of divine graces under Christ, who was figured by Salomon, in respect of what it had under Moses.

1 Kings 7:49

The flowers] of the Candlestick, see Exod. 25. 31. 37. 38.

1 Kings 7:50

The snuffers] the Hebrew word is of a very uncertaine signification: [the hinges] which the doores opened and turned upon inwardly, as also the hooks which were fixed in the wall on bth sides, see upon 1 Kings 6:21.